It is good for us to be together again. This is our eleventh Spring Conference! We are grateful to Greg Ledbetter and the people of the Shell Ridge church for hosting us this year and to LeAnn Blackert and Brian Dixon for chairing the committee that planned our time together. And we are grateful to Karen Shipp for coming to be with us to help us learn to sing a new song.

PCBA continues to be an association of churches in California, committed to the freedoms of the Baptist tradition. We provide witness, nurture, and support to our congregations, clergy, and laity. Our monthly BLT’s (Baptists Lunching Together) and our Spring Conference provide opportunities for growth, the exchange of ideas, and opportunities for church members and clergy to share with one another.

There are signs of change all around us. The economy is, declining, or showing signs of improvement. Sumner Grant from MMBB will be in town later this month to offer words of encouragement. A new President is taking us in new directions. Arlin Specter is a Democrat. Times are changing for us as well and our PCBA Board has taken some initial, short steps to help us think through the mission and style of our life as an Association as we look to the future. Our budget and financial situation are showing real signs of stress. In the next few months we will be engaging this conversation with more focus. What we do know for sure is that we continue to appreciate the opportunity to be in relationship and mission with one another and that gatherings like BLT and conferences like this one enhance our life. How we do that is the topic for our short term conversation.

In my Annual Report last year I said:

It is beginning to appear that some more of our churches will consider relating to the Evergreen Association in the next year or so. It is possible that might mean that we also may wish to talk about a more formal or informal understanding of our relationship with Evergreen.

At our Board meeting in October, 2008, we unanimously passed a motion authorizing our President (Rick Mixon) to initiate “a formal and intentional conversation with the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches that would lead to PCBA becoming an association of the Evergreen Region.” That letter was sent on October 16 to Curtis Price, the Evergreen President (with a copy to Marcia Patton, the Executive Minister).

In our letter to Evergreen on October 16, we also said:

“The Pacific Coast Baptist Association believes that it offers to Evergreen, as a Region, a vibrant community of churches, church members, pastors and other church leaders. We share a commitment to the liberties of our Baptist heritage. We share a commitment to being a community of diversity. Although we are mostly Euro, our Board currently includes African-American members and has included Asian members as well. Diversity in our churches means that some are multi-cultural. Some are members of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, some are members of the Alliance of Baptists, and some are Welcoming and Affirming. Together, we share in a variety of mission concerns.

“We believe that a more formal connection with Evergreen would enhance our life together and that it would enhance the lives of the California congregations already part of Evergreen’s life. We are aware that there are other congregations in our Association contemplating a more formal relationship with Evergreen and that our status as an Association related to Evergreen would be of value to both.”

On November 14, Evergreen responded that we would begin talking soon.

This morning I want simply to report than an initial conversation has been held. Bob Sittig from Evergreen is with us this morning.

Five PCBA churches are already active in Evergreen’s life. I have every reason to believe that others will also explore that possibility. PCBA churches also belong to Regions in Wisconsin, New York City, Philadelphia, Rochester, and GHC here in California, as well as to the Alliance of Baptists. While the Regional connections are important in the life of the churches as a way of connecting to the denomination, our life as an association of California congregations affirms a more local sense of belonging and living together. I am sure that we will find a way to affirm a closer relationship to Evergreen and maintain relationships that are already important and meaningful.

Once again, I want to offer a special word of thanks to all our donors – the churches that share their mission support funds with us and the many individuals who write some small and some large checks to help underwrite our work. Our Annual Financial report for last year shows that we are operating on a deficit budget. Since both individual and church contributions were less than anticipated, our cash balance and reserve is smaller, and our need is greater. During the year we have continued to collect theological books for the Philippines and we shared in sponsoring the Seafarers Shoreline Stroll. The Seafarers reported their best year (up 50%) in supporting their work, and plans are underway to co-sponsor this year’s Stroll. We continue our support of the American Baptist Seminary of the West. Following the tsunami in Myanmar last year, we held a BLT dinner gathering and invited the Burmese congregations meeting at Oakland First Baptist and Lakeshore Avenue Baptist to be with us. They provided our meal and shared their stories, and we made contributions through each congregation for various relief efforts.

During the year we have produced four NewsBriefs to help keep us connected with one another. In the course of the year, I have been in most of our churches for worship, to preach, to lead study groups, and to visit and counsel with pastoral leadership. There have also been occasional contacts with pastoral and lay leadership from congregations outside our Association life.

I continue to be grateful for the honor to work with you.

As I conclude my report, I want to acknowledge with gratitude the work that Joan Thatcher has shared with us as coordinator of Baptists Lunching Together, a ministry she has maintained faithfully for 12 years and from which she is retiring. (She also planned these Spring Conferences for 8 years.) Although Joan is unable to be here today because of illness (the first Spring Conference she has missed), I’m asking our Board chair, Rick Mixon, to say a word on her behalf.